From the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, John Drummond introduces an evening centred on Stravinsky's three great orchestral ballet scores and Les Noces. The evening is also a celebration of the work and influence of Sergei Diaghilev , whose Ballets Russes in the years 1909-29 revolutionised dance, exerted an enormous influence on theatre design and gave rise to some of the greatest music of the period. Diaghilev and his collaborators were Russian, and their artistic influence was felt everywhere in the world except Russia. To begin the evening, John Drummond and David Bintley , artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, explore the background to the remarkable period of Stravinsky and Diaghilev's great collaborations.
7.30 BBC Philharmonic
Live from the Bridgewater Hall,
Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts the music of the three classic ballet scores which Stravinsky wrote for
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and which established the composer's reputation worldwide.
Stravinsky The Firebird: Suite (1945)
8.00 Stravinsky: the Accidental
Dance Composer Stravinsky was not the first choice for The Firebird;
Petrushka was intended to be a piano concerto, and The Rite of Spring a concert piece.
John Drummond and Stephen Walsh discuss the evolution of the pieces we know today.
8.20 BBC Philharmonic The second part of tonight's live concert from
Manchester with the BBC Philharmonic and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
Stravinsky Petrushka (1947)
9.00 The Diaghilev Revolution
Diaghilev's innovations extended to the look as well as the sound of the ballet. John Drummond looks back at the work and wider influence of artists and designers who worked for Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.
9.20 BBC Philharmonic Yan Pascal
Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic conclude tonight's live concert from Manchester.
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
10.00 Into the Future What is the language of classical dance for the next century? John Drummond discusses this question with David Bintley , Angelin Preijocaj of Ballet Preljocaj in Aix-en-Provence, and dance critic Judith Mackrell.
10.15 BBC Singers The evening ends with a concert given earlier tonight at the Barbican in London which includes Antheil's nightmarish vision of the industrial world and Stravinsky's earthy portrayal of a peasant wedding.
Valdine Anderson (soprano),
Ann Taylor (mezzo), Nigel Robson (tenor), Omar Ebrahim (baritone),
Ensemble Modern, BBC Singers, conductor Peter Rundel
Satie Seven Dances (Le Piège de Meduse)
Antheil Ballet Mécanique Stravinsky Les Noces
Stravinsky Evening producer Mark Rowlinson